Abstract
Introduction
Purpose and Scope
Acknowledgments
Field Methods
Collection of Streamflow Data
Water-Quality Sampling
Cleaning of Sampling Equipment
Dry-weather Sampling
Stormwater Sampling
Sample Collection, Instrumentation, and Programming
Sample Retrieval and Processing
Continuously Monitored Water-Quality Properties
Data-Analysis Methods
Dry-Weather Mean Concentrations and Stormwater Event Mean Concentrations
Annual Loads for Water Year 2000
Dry Weather
Stormwater
Design-Storm Loads
Rainfall-Data Analysis
Quality Assurance
Streamflow
Charles River at Watertown (01104615)
Single-Family Land-Use Station (01104630)
Laundry Brook Station (01104640)
Faneuil Brook Subbasin
Multifamily Land-Use Station (01104673)
Commercial Land-Use Station (01104677)
Muddy River Subbasin
Stony Brook Subbasin
Water Quality
Indicator Bacteria
Nutrients
Trace Metals
Water-Quality Properties
Comparison between Stormwater Concentrations from This Study and Those from Other Studies
Contaminant Loads and Yields
Annual Loads
Fecal Coliform Bacteria
Enterococcus Bacteria
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Trace Metals
Biochemical Oxygen Demand
Total Dissolved Solids
Total Suspended Solids
Annual Yields
Charles River at Watertown
Laundry Brook Subbasin
Faneuil Brook Subbasin
Muddy River Subbasin
Stony Brook Subbasin
Ungaged Areas
Uniform Land-Use Subbasins
Design Storm Loads
Estimated Stony Brook Subbasin Loads after Sewer Separation
Environmental Implications of Loads
Summary
References Cited
1. Map showing the location of tributary subbasins, major streams, and sampling stations in the lower
Charles River Watershed, Massachusetts
2. Photograph of the inside of typical gaging station used in this study of the lower Charles River
Watershed showing ( A ) a Dual valve Safe Purge II nitrogen gas system and (B) an ISCO automated
sampler, datalogger, and 26-ampere-hour sealed rechargeable battery
3. Typical hydrograph with distribution of flow-proportional stormwater samples, lower Charles River
Watershed
4. Hydrographs showing modeled discharge and dates of dry-weather and stormwater sampling, lower
Charles River Watershed, Water Year 2000
5. Map showing Thiessen polygons used to assign rain gages to subbasins in the lower Charles River
Watershed
6. Graph showing summary statistics of rainfall characteristics and antecedent conditions for individual
storms in the lower Charles River Watershed during Water Year 2000 and at Logan International Airport,
Boston, from 1970 to 1995
7. Photograph showing upstream view of footbridge located at U.S. Geological Survey gaging station
Charles River at Watertown (01104615)
8. Graph showing flow-duration curves of simulated 15-minute flow values for tributary and uniform
land–use subbasins, and the flow–duration curve of observed 15–minute flow values at Charles River
at Watertown (01104615), lower Charles River Watershed, Water Year 2000
9–14.Photographs showing U.S. Geological Survey gaging station:
9.Single-family land use (01104630), Newton Center, ( A ) upstream and ( B ) downstream views
10.Laundry Brook (01104640), Watertown, ( A ) upstream and ( B ) downstream views
11.Faneuil Brook (01104660), Brighton, ( A ) upstream view and ( B ) above manhole
12.Multifamily land use ( 01104673), Cambridge
13.Commercial land use (01104677), Cambridge
14.Muddy River (01104683), Brookline, upstream views
15.Map showing location of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) gaging station at Stony Brook (01104687),
along the Stony Brook, lower Charles River Watershed
16, 17.Photographs showing U.S. Geological Survey:
16.Gaging station Stony Brook (01104687), Boston
17.Water-quality sampling station Charles River at Boston Science Museum (01104710), ( A ) upstream
and ( B ) downstream views
18–20.Graphs showing:
18.Comparison between stormwater event mean concentrations measured in samples from the lower
Charles River Watershed, Water Year 2000, and stormwater concentrations from other studies
19.Characteristic stormwater hydrograph and pattern of fecal coliform bacterial density before, during,
and after a storm at U.S. Geological Survey gaging station Charles River at Watertown
(01104615), lower Charles River Watershed, July 26–30, 2000
20.Goodness of fit between measured and predicted event mean concentrations of fecal coliform
bacteria at two U.S. Geological Survey gaging stations in the lower Charles River Watershed
21.Maps showing spatial distribution of annual loads by tributary subbasin, lower Charles River Watershed,
Water Year 2000
22.Hyetograph showing the 3-month design storm (hourly) and 1-year design storm (21 minutes), lower
Charles River Watershed
23.Diagram showing a typical combined sewer
24, 25.Graphs showing:
24.Changes in constituent loads after sewer separation relative to pre-separation loads in the Stony
Brook Subbasin, lower Charles River Watershed
25.Average daily loading intensity of fecal coliform bacteria from upstream and selected tributary
subbasins, lower Charles River Watershed, Water Year 2000
1.Locations and USGS station numbers used in the study, lower Charles River Watershed, Massachusetts
2.Analytes, laboratories, and analytical techniques used in this study
3.Discharge at the time of sampling (dry weather) or total stormwater volume (stormwater), lower
Charles River Watershed, Water Year 2000
4.Annual dry-weather and stormwater-discharge volumes and yields upstream and from tributary
subbasins to the lower Charles River Watershed, Water Year 2000
5.Characteristics of storms sampled during this study of the lower Charles River Watershed, storms recorded
at Logan Airport National Weather Service station between 1970 and 1995, and Massachusetts Water
Resources Authority design storms
6.Constituent loads for sampled storms, lower Charles River Watershed
7.Stormwater volume for 3-month and 1-year design storms, lower Charles River Watershed
8.Contamination bias expected in 10 percent of the environmental samples collected during the study of the
lower Charles River Watershed
9.Standard deviations of replicate samples collected in this study of the lower Charles River Watershed
10.Sources and environmental importance of selected constituents and water-quality properties
11.Results of Sign Test between paired stormwater event mean concentrations (EMCs) for sampled storms
at uniform land-use stations, lower Charles River Watershed
12.Characteristics of selected major and trace elements of potential interest to studies of urban and highway
runoff
13.Summary statistics for selected stormwater constituents from other studies
14.Percentages of dry-weather, stormwater, and total loads of each constituent contributed to the lower
Charles River at each station in the lower Charles River Watershed, Water Year 2000
15.Percentages of dry-weather and stormwater loads of each constituent at each station in the lower Charles
River Watershed, Water Year 2000
16.Land use in the lower Charles River Watershed
17.Constituent yields for 3-month and 1-year design storms, and Water Year 2000, lower Charles River
Watershed
18.Estimated volume of combined sewage overflow to Stony Brook, lower Charles River Watershed
19.Mean concentrations of selected constituents and water-quality properties in combined sewage
20.Projected constituent event mean concentrations for Stony Brook, lower Charles River Watershed, under
conditions of complete sewer separation
21.Estimated stormwater loads to Stony Brook after sewer separation for design storms and Water Year
2000, lower Charles River Watershed
22.Dry-weather constituent concentrations and physical properties measured between July 1999 and July
2000, lower Charles River Watershed
23.Event mean concentrations of stormwater constituents and water-quality properties measured between
January 2000 and September 2000, lower Charles River Watershed
24.Bacterial densities in discrete stormwater samples collected between January 2000 and September 2000,
lower Charles River Watershed
25.Statistical summary for constituents and water-quality properties of dry-weather and stormwater
flow-composite samples measured between July 1999 and September 2000, lower Charles River Watershed
26.Regression coefficients of models used to estimate event mean concentrations from storm-rainfall characteristics and antecedent conditions, lower Charles River Watershed
27.Constituent loads for Water Year 2000 stormwater, Water Year 2000 dry-weather conditions, and 3-month and 1-year design storms, lower Charles River Watershed
This report is presented in Portable Document Format (PDF).
Download the report (6.85 MB)--139 pages
The citation for this report, in USGS format, is as follows:
Breault, R.F., Sorenson, J.R. and Weiskel, P.K., 2002, Streamflow, Water Quality, and Contaminant Loads in the Lower Charles River Watershed, Massachusetts, 1999–2000: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 02-4137, 139 p.
For more information about USGS activities in Massachusetts-Rhode Island District, visit the USGS Massachusetts-Rhode Island Home Page.
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